Fury coursed through Erica, and she glared at her husband. "You've gone too far. The security guard at the Blessing Palace said that the crazy woman had escaped from the mental hospital several times. She'd snuck into the palace through the hole to scare people. How can Watkins be involved? Is it possible to lure a person with a mental health condition out of a hospital?"
"Anything is possible!" Matthew snapped. He wondered if Camille and Watkins had been acquainted and whether they had conspired to destroy his and Erica's relationship.
If he found out any evidence to support his theory, he swore he wouldn't be forgiving.
"Humph! You're judging a gentleman with your evil heart!"
The man squinted and grabbed the woman's chin. "Say it again!" 'How dare you call me evil? Are you courting death?' he thought as resentment surged through him.
"You want me to repeat it? Fine! Do you think that I'm afraid of you?" Erica adjusted her position so that her bulging belly was in Matthew's sight. Then, she spoke, "I said you are judging a gentleman with your evil heart!"
She wasn't afraid of provoking him as she didn't believe that he would hit a pregnant woman.
And she was right. Matthew just couldn't be angry with her. His anger toward Watkins also disappeared the moment his eyes fell on her belly. He couldn't punish her, but he knew something else that he could do to unsettle her.
The man suddenly lowered his head and kissed her red lips, hard.
When they had lunch at noon, Erica listened as Matthew spoke on the phone. He was busy interviewing teachers for her.
Having lost her appetite, she poked the rice in her bowl with her chopsticks. Finally, she picked up all the food that the man had served her and put it back into his bowl.
This was her way of silently protesting his decision.
Eventually, Matthew put down his phone and cast a sharp glance at the pregnant woman. Unwilling to invite his wrath, she reluctantly began to eat the rice.
Meanwhile, she silently cursed him for being overbearing, unreasonable, and brutal!
Matthew had always been a man of action. This situation was no different. He found a private teacher for Erica that day itself. Now, she wouldn't need to go to school again, just like he had ordered.
Her first theory class was later that afternoon. The teacher was very knowledgeable. She explained to Erica all the concepts she had found challenging to understand earlier.
The teacher was so good that there was no reason for Erica to complain to Matthew.
Just like that, two days passed. Soon, Erica couldn't tolerate being stuck inside the villa anymore.
This feeling grew manifold when the teacher took her to the garden for location shooting. As she studied the flowers and plants in the garden, Erica began to feel that she had wasted such a beautiful season cooped up inside.
'No way! I can't go on like this. I have to coax Matthew into letting me out!' she decided.
Overnight, Neville decided to send Watkins abroad.
It happened all of a sudden. By the time Erica learned about it, Watkins had already boarded the plane. Before turning off his phone, he called her. "Erica, I'm going abroad. I can't stay in Y City anymore."
"What happened? Why do you have to leave Y City so suddenly?" Erica was confused.
With a heavy sigh, Watkins explained, "Mr. Huo not only started to mess up my father's company, but he also threatened to take me away and chop off my arms and legs… My father had to send me away. I might never be able to return to Y City again." He sounded sad.
Erica was stunned when she heard the accusations. "No, it's impossible. Matthew just wanted to frighten you. How could he chop off your arms…"
"Erica, you still don't believe me, do you? Matthew Huo doesn't like his wife, and he won't allow others to befriend her. Just because you are his woman, he won't tolerate anyone getting close to you. What about him? He has met the Su family's sisters several times without your knowledge. Forget it. If I say anything else, it will sound like I'm trying to sow discord between you two. Anyway, Erica, I hope you will be happy!"
With that, Watkins ended the call.
Erica lay on the bed and fidgeted with her phone. The more she thought about what Watkins had said, the more annoyed she became. Soon, she found herself staring at the WeChat application, wondering how to question Matthew.
She randomly clicked on a WeChat group full of unread messages and casually scrolled up and down a few times.
She stumbled across a picture posted by Kaitlyn in the group chat. The date stamp on the photo showed that it had been taken yesterday.
Erica clicked on the picture. It was taken at a dinner party. As she searched the faces in the photo, she saw Camille.
The person sitting one seat away from her was none other than… Matthew!
He was wearing a white shirt. A man sat on his right and a woman on his left. Erica didn't know the identity of the woman on his left. She was in her twenties and looked very beautiful.
The woman was pouring a glass of wine for Matthew. Although he was expressionless, the woman was smiling.
Erica went back to the group chat and re-read Kaitlyn's message. She said, "My cousin and I are out for dinner. Mr. Huo is also here."
The other people in the group had sent messages expressing their envy of her.
Erica scrolled up again, but the picture of the dinner party had disappeared. Maybe it had been withdrawn.
She gritted her teeth and texted Matthew irritably. "Where are you?" Why could he indulge himself in dissipation but didn't allow her to go out? That was so unfair to her!
Matthew's response shook Erica out of her reflection. "I'm outside. I'll return late."
Erica couldn't believe his reply. Was he socializing again? And she was stuck in the villa? She was so furious that her mind went blank, and she couldn't think of a befitting answer.
After a while, just when she was about to fall asleep, she received a message from Kaitlyn. "Erica, I'm with the Su family. Camille just told me that Mr. Huo went to see Phoebe. I don't know if it's true or not. I used the pretext of going to the bathroom to find a way to tell you this without anyone noticing. Don't tell anyone that I told you."
Erica shot up in bed when she read the message. It was already very late at night, but Matthew hadn't returned. Did he truly go to see Phoebe?
She glanced around the bedroom; she was alone here while her husband was likely with another woman outside. She felt so betrayed. Such anguish surged through her that it felt as if a knife were piercing her heart.
'No way! I need to see this myself.' "Where is Phoebe now?" she asked.
Several agonizing moments passed before Kaitlyn replied with a voice message. "She isn't at the Su family residence. So, perhaps she is in her apartment." She seemed to be whispering in the voice message. It lent credibility to her claim that she was indeed secretly giving this information to Erica.
"Do you know the address of her apartment?"
"Yes. I will send it to you!"
It was not until Erica changed her clothes that she remembered that Matthew had asked several people to keep an eye on her. How would she leave the villa?
Perhaps they would not stop her if she claimed to be going to the Huo family's manor.
Erica breathed a sigh of relief.
When she opened the door of the villa, she saw several bodyguards standing outside. As soon as they noticed her, they became vigilant. "Mrs. Huo!" Everyone knew that this pregnant woman could climb over the wall and window. So two bodyguards were guarding the windowsill too.
Erica announced calmly, "I'm going to the manor. Ask the driver to take me there."
"Mrs. Huo, why do you go to the manor so late?" One of the bodyguards was bold enough to question her.
She glanced at him coldly, "Do you have a problem with my visiting my parents-in-law? Didn't Matthew say that I could go to the manor?"
Her tone was harsh, and her explanation was reasonable. The bodyguard was also frightened when she mentioned Matthew. "Yes, Mrs. Huo. I'll arrange for the car right away!"
